


all the way home i'll be warm

by notveryglittery (tryingthymes)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Christmas Fluff, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Platonic Relationships, Single Parents, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21858025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryingthymes/pseuds/notveryglittery
Summary: 'tis the season for spending time with your loved ones! for some mischievous college kids and their "unfortunate" dads, that happens in more ways than one.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Sleep | Remy Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Thomas Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Deceit Sanders & Sleep | Remy Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders & Sleep | Remy Sanders, Moxiety, Roceit, brotherly thvi, twins logicality
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62
Collections: Sanders Sides Secret Santa 2019





	all the way home i'll be warm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maxiswriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxiswriting/gifts).



> happy holidays! i hope y'all (and max especially) like mutual pining, disaster gays, and cavity-inducing fluff! 
> 
> warnings: sympathetic deceit. food mentions, flying mention, two characters locked in a room together.

“Did your disaster of a dad sweep the librarian off his feet yet?”

Patton sighed and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand. It made his face sort of squished and extra cute. Virgil wished they were having this conversation directly so that _he_ could be the one squishing Patton’s face with his hands. 

“Nope! Vee, I swear, they’re worse than we were.” 

“That’s really saying something,” Virgil said. 

“Do you want to hear something impressive?” 

“Anything you say is impressive.”

Patton giggled. “Oh hush, that doesn’t even make sense.”

Virgil shrugged helplessly. “Nothing in this world does, babe, but you sure help make it easier to deal with.” 

Patton was turning properly red now and Virgil made a mental note to thank Picani again for the suggestions when he’d expressed wanting to buy a new phone. The camera quality on this one made video calling with Patton even better. 

“I said hush!” Patton squeaked. “We’re moving on!” 

Virgil just smiled back innocently. “Well, what impressive thing do you have to share?”

“Logan hasn’t gone a single day without complaining.” 

That was, actually, pretty impressive. 

“Logan? Complaining?”

Patton nodded.

“Never has anything to say about you always mentioning that you’re fifteen minutes older-Logan? Has aced literally every final he’s ever taken without a single whine-Logan? Can sit in traffic for hours and not protest once-Logan?” 

Patton nodded, fervently. “I _know!_ ”

“Explain,” Virgil demanded, feeling very much like he’d just been deposited into an alternate universe.

“Well, you know how he had a secret sweetheart for, like, ever and we only found out on accident, right?”

“Right.”

“He says Dad’s being ridiculous for pining for so long! Apparently, in the time it took for Logan and his lover to get their feelings sorted out, Dad had only _just_ got Dev’s phone number.” 

“You’re having fun with alliteration,” Virgil mused, before continuing. “That…” He paused to process. “Pat, they’re not just worse than us, they’re like… the worst in existence.” 

“I don’t know how they do it,” Patton moaned, tilting his head back. 

“At this rate, I’m going to visit over break just so that I can lock them in a closet together.”

“And that’s the _only_ reason for you to visit, hmm?” 

“Of course,” Virgil answered, solemnly, “not like _I_ got my act together and have a handsome boyfriend that I’d like to spend 7 Minutes in Heaven with, or anything.” 

“ _Virgil!_ ” Patton exclaimed, nearly screeching. 

“Yes?” 

“I’m hanging up on you now,” Patton threatened. 

“You’re impossible to fluster in person. When else am I supposed to snipe you?” 

“I’m confiscating the love gun!” 

“It’s cute how you think that’ll stop me,” Virgil said, delighting in the way Patton was still pouting.

“Good _night!_ ” 

And with that, the call ended. 

Virgil laughed, switching to their text thread without missing a beat. 

**stormcloud:** love you lots. hope your dreams are as happy as you make me.  
**sunshine:** i love u too, u bully, good night!!!!!!!! >:(   
**sunshine:** …  
**sunshine:** 💜💙💜💙

* * *

“Operation Matchmaker is a go!”

“I am making the executive decision to reject that name immediately.” 

“Vetoed.” 

“On what grounds?”

“I was born first.” 

“By fifteen minutes, that hardly counts.” 

“It does, too! It counts fifteen whole times.”

“You realize how little sense that makes, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t have to.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I’m older!”

“That is _not_ how this works—” 

“What are we debating this time, kids?” Roman interrupted, arriving before a full blown argument could start.

“Dad!” The twins chorused, one far more enthusiastic than the other. Then again, one of them _had_ been complaining for the last two weeks of his father’s oblivious pining. 

“Patton and I were wondering if you wouldn’t mind driving us today, since you haven’t got anything planned?” 

“And just how do you know I’m not busy? I could have many dragons to slay!”

“And princes to swoon over,” Patton mumbled. 

Logan elbowed his sibling in the side. “It would be quite efficient to take just the one car out instead of both. However, we all know how much I dislike driving in the snow, and I don’t trust Patton behind the wheel when I know Virgil could call at any moment.”

“Hey!” 

“Good point.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“And if we leave now, we’ll beat rush hour traffic and be home in time before nightfall.”

“Alright, fine, as long as we’re all good with stopping to get takeout for dinner.”

“That is agreeable.”

“Perfect!” 

The trio separated to get their things together. Roman had still been in his pajamas when he happened upon Logan and Patton at the dining table. 

They had seemed suspiciously like they were scheming but given it was nearing Christmas, it was safe to assume they were just figuring out gifts. He’d taken care of presents for everyone last month, including Patton’s aforementioned boyfriend. That one had been fun to plan and if everything else went up in flames (as the holidays were sometimes wont to do), he knew that this, at least, would be well worth the work. 

Figuring the pair only had a few quick errands to run and that all they’d really expect of him was to keep the car running and warm, Roman went with dressing down for the day. He bundled up in crown patterned sweatpants, a maroon turtleneck, and a black beanie. His hair would not see the light of this day, thank you very much. 

“You look comfy!” Patton chirped as they regrouped at the entryway. Their pink pronoun necklace matched the earmuffs and gloves they were wearing; in fact, Patton seemed to have decided on more of a pastel aesthetic than normal today, what with the rest of their outfit in complementary soft shades. 

Logan, on the other hand, had gone with his usual and was covered head to toe in navy and black. “Indeed. Do you intend to join us at all or will you be taking self portraits in the car?” 

“Ha ha,” Roman deadpanned, shooing his kids outside and locking the door as they left the house.

It wasn’t until they were settled and on the road that Roman thought to actually _ask_ what the plans were.

“What’s on the agenda, then? Gifts? Missing ingredients for cookies? Dropping anything off at Goodwill?” He hadn’t missed the fact that they both had bags, and that they seemed rather full. 

“All of the above, actually,” Patton piped up from the backseat. “I wanna donate some of my old plushies and Lo’s got some books he doesn’t need anymore.” 

“Patton is in need of vanilla extract and food coloring. I wonder how we could possibly be out.” 

“If I don’t make red velvet French toast every morning during holiday break, then what's the point of you being home from college?” Roman asked. 

“Quality time spent together, a reprieve from coursework—” 

“There is no point!” Patton interrupted. “It’s the best part about being back!” 

“Patton, there is no ‘being back’ for you seeing as you do not even live in the dorms. Theoretically, you could have red velvet French toast every morning, regardless of the time of year.” 

An offended gasp from his father made sense but to hear it from Patton as well surprised him. 

“Blasphemy!” Patton cried. 

“The disrespect!” Roman exclaimed. 

“That breakfast is _tradition_ , Lo! We’d never have it without you,” Patton promised, clasping Logan’s shoulder and squeezing. 

“Thank you,” he responded, voice dripping with sarcasm, “that truly eases my concerns. I was _so_ worried.” 

With the streets empty as they were, getting to and from locations took no time at all. Sure enough, Roman waited in the car while Patton and Logan stopped in at the grocery store. 

This hadn’t been part of their plan but it was better this way; originally, one would have had to distract him while the other worked. Logan emptied the contents of his backpack, old plastic bags to be recycled, to make room for the pre-ordered bouquet of flowers from the floral department. 

“It’s _lovely,_ ” Patton gushed to the seasonal employee. “We’re finally gonna get dad to confess his feelings to Dev. It’s been _years_ in the making, they’re both just so clueless. Not that that’s a bad thing!” They hurried to correct while Logan muttered “ _It really is,_ ” under his breath.

“I think it’s real sweet what you kids are doin’ for your pa,” Valerie said sincerely. “Roman’s been a blessing since I moved out here. I swear, the number of times he’s sighed wistfully during our Disney movie marathons while thinking about that man… I bet the whole town’s rooting for them.” 

“It’s a miracle the whole town hasn’t lost their collective mind waiting for one of them to make a move.” 

“Logan!” Patton scolded despite looking delighted over their brother being so exasperated that he could hardly be bothered anymore to resist roasting their hopeless father and his crush. 

“Well, keep me up to date, won’t you?” Valerie requested, shoving another handful of ribbon into Logan’s bag. 

“You bet!” 

With the flowers and groceries, not forgotten thanks to Logan, safely secured, they were on to their next stop. Roman denied any teasing of having picked _just_ the right parking spot for prime selfie lighting (not that any of them would have been posted anyway, given his casual look today). 

True to their word, Patton stopped in at the local Goodwill and emptied their backpack of stuffed toys and books. If they stopped by the counter to buy something they’d begged be held for them earlier that week, well… 

“Darlin’, I dunno how y’all are gonna pull this off.” 

“Oh, ye of little faith!” Patton said, running their hands through the purchased scarf to check for any snags or loose threads. “I think I know enough about romance to make it work.” 

The snap of Remy’s bubblegum startled Patton into peering up at him. 

“You’re joking, right?” 

When Patton didn’t answer, Remy reached up and took his sunglasses off. He pointed them right at Patton’s nose, who went slightly cross-eyed trying to focus. “Babes, tell me you’re pullin’ my leg.” 

“I’m not!”

“Oh, bless your heart,” Remy cooed, smiling as he perched the eyewear on top of his head. “Honey, romance could be painted on the broad sign of a barn and you’d still miss it.” 

“Uhm, hello? Virgil?” Patton replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Planned the cutest prom-posal in the history of prom-posals despite his anxiety after you mistook your first three dates as him trying to get to know Logan better through you.” 

“Listen—”

“Yeah? To you yelling at me over the phone about whether or not Virgil kissing you meant he liked you or _like_ -liked you?”

“ _Remy!_ ” Patton whined.

“I’m just sayin’, sweetie,” Remy relented, “It’s a good thing Logan’s helping.” 

Patton huffed, shoving their receipt into the bag. “You’ll still meet us there? You’re kinda important to this going right.” 

“Only kinda?” Remy rolled his eyes. “I take offense to that. But yeah, I’ll be there.” 

Patton bounced a couple times on their feet, leaning across the counter. Remy couldn’t help grinning as he pressed his lips against their forehead. 

“You’ll grow out of that someday.”

“Never!” Patton crowed, backing up and towards the exit. “See you later!”

Patton returned to the car and startled Roman by opening the driver side door. 

“I’m afraid we might’ve been a bit dishonest with you,” Logan said, only barely managing to cover smug with sheepish.

“Out, daddio! I’m driving us to the last stop and you get to be blindfolded for it!” Patton exclaimed, bright and mischievous.

“The betrayal,” Roman cried, unbuckling his seat belt. “And so soon before Christmas, too. _Whatever_ are you surprising me with?” 

After some poking and prodding at Patton’s ticklish spots and Patton yanking Roman’s beanie down further over his eyes, they were off. Roman didn’t stop griping the entire way. Logan kept the banter going, texting Remy all the while to make sure everything was going according to plan. 

* * *

“I’m here, you’re welcome,” Remy called into the breakroom very obviously marked _Employees Only_.

“I’ll only be thankful if you brought lunch,” the pile of blankets on the couch replied, muffled.

“Hot soup, hot cocoa, hot tea.”

“Last one’s literal or figurative?” 

“Guess you won’t know ‘til you shed.” 

“ _Uuugh._ ” 

The voice groaned the entire length of shrugging the blankets off until they were all gathered around his waist and over his legs. 

“Ah, there he is! Dearest dad emerges from his cocoon.” 

Devereux glared at his son as Remy crossed the room and set a plastic bag down on the table. 

“All I do for you, just to be relentlessly tormented by your sass.”

“I learned from the best,” Remy said seriously, setting up a series of thermoses and tupperware. 

“Suck-up.” 

The moment Remy was sat beside him, Devereux was ruffling a hand through his hair, tousling the oh-so-meticulously-taken-care-of locks. Remy shouted in outrage, batting his dad’s hand away and scooting to the other end of the couch. 

“All I do for you!”

It took nearly a minute of the two glaring at each other, waiting for one to make the next move. When Devereux’s stomach growled noisily, the stalemate ended. Remy smirked. 

“Truce?” He offered.

“... Truce.” 

They reached for the table at the same time, picking their own containers. Remy grabbed a thermos, no doubt filled with hot coffee. Devereux chose a microwavable bowl and a spoon, cradling it carefully to his chest. Silence followed for awhile longer while Remy texted with one hand and Devereux stared out the window as he ate, scowling slightly when snowflakes started drifting slowly into view. 

“A shame I won’t get home tonight,” he grumbled, glaring into his soup. 

“And why’s that?” Remy asked distractedly.

“The weather. Too cold. If only you’d look up from your phone and—” 

“Okay, boomer.” 

“I hate you.”

“I’m telling mom.” 

“Who’s she? Never heard of her.”

Remy took an extra loud sip from his drink, maintaining direct eye contact with his dad as he did so.

“I’m sending you to boarding school. Far, far away. You’ll live with your grandparents.”

“ _No,_ not the Witch and the Critic,” Remy hissed, actually suddenly nervous. 

“They _really_ aren’t that bad,” Devereux said, doing a terrible job of hiding his self-satisfied grin. 

“I had to _sneak_ my caffeine in!” 

“It would’ve canceled out Grandma’s sleeping spells.”

“Stop that!” Remy shrieked at the same moment his phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen and then back up. “You’re lucky I love you even when you’re being this mean to me.” 

Answering the call, Remy set his thermos back on the table and stood up from the couch. “Y’all make it safe?” 

Devereux tuned the conversation out as he put his soup down and worked on getting out of his blanket nest. He cleaned up as Remy chatted, thinking about everything that needed to be done before the day was over. Did the grind ever stop? Not that he’d change anything; Remy was the best thing that happened to him, and while the nightmares had seemed unending at the time, life nowadays was a dream come true in comparison. Sure, there was one unattainable fantasy that would be the cherry on top, but he’d learned not to get his hopes up anymore. 

“Got something to show you,” Remy said and Devereux supposed he could put up with whatever nonsense was to follow since Remy _had_ brought him lunch. 

They headed out into the library, which was relatively empty since school was out for the holidays. That didn’t change the fact that some families simply couldn't handle being cramped in the same house together for long periods of time. Devereux saw all sorts come through for a reprieve from the stress: teenagers with headphones blaring music loud enough that even he could hear it, parents with tense shoulders that appeared worn out no matter the hour, students visiting home that felt out of place after being away, now in need of a break from their discomfort. 

Devereux followed Remy to the private study rooms. These were ideal, usually, for finding some peace and quiet, but he had a feeling some sort of havoc was inevitable. 

“Eyes closed!” Remy exclaimed suddenly, pivoting. He practically resembled the Cheshire cat. 

They had paused in front of room five. The lights were on and the blinds pulled but Devereux could see shadows moving through the slats. 

“Might as well get it over with,” he muttered sarcastically, doing as requested. 

Several things happened in the next moment. 

Remy knocked once on the door and it creaked open. A hand took Devereux’s wrist and yanked him forward, presumably into the room. He collided into something sturdy, though the sound of crinkling plastic sounded less so. Someone erupted into giggles, another muttered “ _finally,_ ” and then the door slammed shut, and the lock clicked. 

“Oh,” squeaked the voice of whoever it was holding Devereux up from falling backwards. 

(‘Whoever,’ we say, as if Devereux wasn’t _achingly_ familiar with this voice.) 

His eyes flew open and he resisted yelping in alarm. Just so. Roman was stood in front of him, dressed in loungewear, and holding a bouquet of flowers. He was rapidly turning red and he seemed about as confused as Devereux felt. This wouldn’t last long, it never did with the two of them, but it was really just a matter of who would snap out of it first. 

“You look exquisite,” Devereux murmured finally, pulling back from Roman just enough that he could brush a hand along his forearm. “As if you’ve just gotten out of bed and yet… still so effortlessly handsome.” 

“I can only imagine how divine it’d be to lay with you,” Roman responded smoothly, “though there’s not been created a material that could match your warmth.” 

A pause, both realizing what they’d just said. 

“Flowers!” Roman exclaimed suddenly, voice cracking, as he stepped away, and thrust the bundle towards Devereux. 

“Wonderful,” he coughed, holding them gently, and admiring the colors. “Not nearly as lovely as you, of course, though one could search the ends of the Earth and still nothing would compare.”

“Why, Devereux,” Roman purred, “it sounds almost like you’re calling _me_ the prettiest thing on the planet—” 

“Aren’t you?” 

“— when in fact, your beauty outmatches that _beyond_ this world. I’d choose still to gaze into your eyes, reminiscent of sweet honey crystallized, even if offered a glittering sea of endless diamond skies.” 

… Was it getting hot in this room? Roman looked exceedingly pleased with himself and Devereux cursed the competitive, theatrical streak they shared. There would be no moving from this spot if they continued like this… Not that he had a problem with it. Roman truly was a vision: hair tousled (Devereux could only imagine combing his fingers through the tangled locks), cheeks rosy (what he’d give to cause that blush daily), lips curved in satisfaction (oh, how he’d love to kiss that grin right off his face). 

The same moment Devereux glanced upwards, Roman’s gaze flickered down. 

‘ _Interesting,_ ’ thought Devereux, taking note of the little sprig of green pinned to the ceiling.

Their eyes met again, their smiles melting into something softer, more sincere. 

“Our kids will be the death of us,” Roman muttered with a resigned sigh. 

“Our?” Devereux echoed. “I like the sound of that.” 

“ _Oh,_ ” Roman managed, breathlessly. 

Keeping the flowers tucked in the elbow of one arm, Devereux reached forward with his free hand and rested his palm flat against Roman’s chest. His heart was racing. They had that in common. 

It was imperceptible, trying to figure out who leaned closer first. The kiss was hesitant to start, years of yearning and pent up passion and fragile feelings. Once the realization hit, that the pining was mutual, that they both wanted this, that they both had _been_ wanting this… 

Well, it was a good thing the window to study room five was shuttered. 

* * *

“Vee, it went _perfectly!_ ” Patton screamed into the receiver. 

“Uh, yeah, I sure hope it did,” Virgil answered, shifting so that his cellphone stayed firmly between his ear and shoulder, despite Patton’s volume, “given how long they’ve been flirting for.” 

Patton went on, gushing about how he and Logan had successfully tricked their dad into driving them to his own trap; how Remy had been instrumental in bribing Devereux with lunch; how they’d unlocked the room to find the pair slow dancing to music playing on Roman’s phone— “A Thousand Years,” covered by Boyce Avenue, they’d discover later. 

Had Virgil not been so busy with finals, he surely would have heard the story sooner; it had been just under a week since the set-up and, apparently, Roman and Devereux were, somehow, even more sickeningly affectionate than before.

Not that Virgil would have any room to talk in… He glanced at his watch. The nerves over his flight were replaced quickly by the excited anticipation about seeing Patton in three hours. 

“Sweetie?”

“I love you,” Virgil exclaimed suddenly, “just… so much.” 

Patton squealed. “Ahh!! I love you too!!” 

“Good. That’s… I’m glad. Hey, I gotta email a couple of professors. Talk later?” 

“Of course!” 

‘ _Sooner and closer than you think,_ ’ Virgil mused, smiling at his lock screen photo after the call ended. They’d been going through his closet for spring cleaning and despite the silliness at the time, something about seeing Patton wearing his clothes warmed him all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. 

Virgil let his mind wander as he headed through security and to his gate, wondering just what he’d do during his two weeks back home. Attending college a state over was miserable to start but he’d been grateful there’d been one still relatively close, at least, with his stupidly specific major. He hadn’t been able to visit during Fall break and so it’d been an agonizing five months since he’d last hugged Patton, last held his hand, last— _okay Virgil calm down before the touch starvation rears its ugly head_. 

Boarding, thankfully, took no time at all, since it was a smaller flight. The weather stayed mercifully clear and landing went off without a hitch. Grateful that he’d only needed to bring a carry-on and his backpack, he headed passed baggage claim and right for the pick-up zone outside. He was checking his phone to see where Thomas was parked when a body slammed into him from the side. Before he could panic about being attacked or robbed, his brother’s voice was rambling a mile a minute. 

“I literally have so much to tell you, I cannot believe how much has happened since you were here last, and _look!_ ” Thomas exclaimed, shoving his phone into Virgil’s face. It was a picture of a kitten he didn’t recognize which meant Thomas had adopted _another_ pet. Virgil gave Thomas a deadpan stare as he rattled off all the reasons he’d definitely needed a new cat. 

He threw an arm over Virgil’s shoulders and led the way to the car, still gesturing excitedly as he went on about everything that had happened in Virgil’s absence. Apparently, Halloween had seen a jack-o’-lantern carving contest that was all for naught when Remy and Patton switched pumpkins, Logan’s boyfriend got a little knife happy with the picnic table, and Devereux realized halfway through his design that it was too humiliating for anyone else to see and had promptly threw the entire thing against a tree. 

“Was it Roman’s face?” Virgil asked, rolling his eyes. 

“Joan swears it was but you know them,” Thomas responded. 

“Agent of chaos,” Virgil agreed. 

Thanksgiving was the same as each year: Roman and the twins, Devereux and Remy, Valerie, Leo, Joan, Talyn, Terrence, Kenny, and Thomas all gathered at the local theatre. Even if any of them did have a house big enough to host a large group, the theatre held so much weight in all of their lives, and felt like the best place to express all the things they were grateful for— namely, each other. They made sure to leave the stage as clean as at the start of dinner, taking care to not leave any stains or scuffs by laying the floor with a plastic tarp. It took a bit of extra work, everyone having to transport their food, but the following games of charades and group improv made it all worth it. 

Virgil swore to himself he’d never miss another one again, college be damned. 

“No offense to Roman but the twins really got him good,” Thomas was saying as he merged onto the freeway. “They left Goodwill and just drove in circles until Remy let them know he’d made it to the library.” 

“The fact that neither of those disaster idiots had even a clue as to what their kids were planning is…” Virgil gestured broadly, as if he could pluck the word out of thin air, “ridiculous.” 

“But not unbelievable!” Thomas added. “I think they get blinded by the gay.” 

“Yeah, you’re one to talk,” Virgil began but Thomas was slamming the button on the console to turn on the radio, drowning out whatever his brother was planning on saying next. 

Virgil just settled into his seat, whistling innocently as Thomas’s face went bright red and Straight No Chaser sang through “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

Making it to the Sanders household took longer than Virgil would have liked but it was three days before Christmas and people were out and about for their last minute shopping. It didn’t help that it had snowed heavily the night before and so traffic was slow moving with everyone driving so carefully. 

Still, they arrived before Patton got home, which was the important part. Roman was standing on the porch, waving excitedly as Thomas pulled into the driveway. Virgil glared at the second parked car, recognizing it as Devereux’s, and prayed that Roman didn’t _actually_ have company over. Patton’s surprise was supposed to be known by as few people as possible and the gossip in this town spread fast. 

“Welcome home!” Roman exclaimed, yanking Virgil into a hug as soon as he was within arm’s reach.

“Yeah, yeah,” Virgil said back, voice muffled as his face was pressed against Roman’s shoulder. “I’m happy to see you too, don’t get me wrong—” 

“I know,” Roman sighed, dramatically, relenting as he let Virgil go and ushered them in from the cold. “I’m not the one you want to be squished by.” 

“Shut up!” Virgil spluttered, swatting at Roman as if that would wipe the amused look off his face. 

“Oh, there he is!” 

Virgil was _accosted_ the next moment. His face was met this time with a leather jacket and all he did in response was groan. Remy eased back but not before gently tugging once on Virgil’s earlobe and then tapping his nose. 

“We are _way_ too old for that,” Virgil complained, scowling. 

It lasted all of three seconds before he caved, kicking out to tap the tip of his shoe against Remy’s ankle. 

“I still stand by that being a stupid handshake,” Devereux said, appearing out of nowhere just as suddenly as his son had. 

“Well good thing it’s not a handshake then, huh?” Virgil replied. However, it went mostly unheard as Roman stole Devereux’s attention at the same time, as if they literally hadn’t just been in the kitchen together three minutes ago. 

“I hate this already,” Virgil said, taking his phone from his pocket, hoping for a text from Logan to distract him. 

Sure enough, the younger of the twins had sent a photo of Patton at the candy store, eyeing a display case filled with fudge. His pronoun necklace stood out against the white of his sweater and matched the violet beanie pulled over his curls… the same one Virgil had left with him the day he had gone off to college. His heart swelled and if he’d been paying any attention, he’d have noticed the picture Remy snuck of him and the absolutely smitten smile on his face. 

Thomas clapped his hands, snapping Virgil out of it. “Okay, I’m gonna drive home. Roe’s gonna follow and then bring us back over here. Doesn’t make any sense for me to be hanging out but, not gonna lie, I think the twins would be sus if Roe _wasn’t_ here.” 

“Hey!” Roman protested. 

“No offense, darling, but he’s not wrong,” Devereux said, smirking. 

At Roman’s put out expression, Devereux pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. 

Remy and Virgil were staring at each other as if they were each other’s cameras on _The Office_. 

“We got the decorations out earlier,” Remy said, pointing towards the living room. 

“Oh thank God, please get me away from them before I get cavities.” 

The two ducked out of the entryway where they’d all been gathered since Thomas and Virgil’s arrival. For the most part, the house had already been dressed up for Christmas. The tree was lit, the stockings were hung, and there was one final box left to be unpacked. It’d been left on the coffee table, waiting to be opened and taken care of. 

“I forget how sappy you look when you’re thinking about Patton.”

Virgil only gave Remy a rather rude hand gesture in return before lifting the lid off the container. Inside were the ornaments he and Patton had made together over the years. It was a tradition they’d had since before they began dating. Some of them were simple, made out of foam or cardboard and drawn on in marker or glitter glue pens; others were glass or ceramics and decorated with paint or sequins. The one thing they all had in common, though, was the indigo ribbon used to hang the baubles. It was the perfect mix of their favorite colors and needed to be special ordered anytime they ran out. Each one had the year written on it wherever there was space for it. Virgil loved them. Patton loved them so much that he refused to hang any of them without Virgil there to do so with him. 

According to Roman, who Virgil really had to thank for making this trip possible, Patton hadn’t even _considered_ touching the box housing the ornaments, since there hadn’t been any guarantee of Virgil making it home for Christmas. Now, though… 

“Seriously, Virge, if I didn’t already doubt your dark and edgy exterior, I would be right about now.”

“Shut _up,_ Rem,” Virgil said, laughing. 

For awhile longer, the pair just caught up on the last half year. Eventually, Devereux and Thomas returned. Apparently, Patton had gotten chilly and sad (not that he’d admit to that last part but there was no hiding it from his twin), so he and Logan were heading home early. That was all fine and good; they mostly had just needed to get Patton out of the house long enough for Virgil to get home and to bring out the special ornaments. 

While Virgil wanted to disagree with Thomas, Remy, and Devereux being there, he couldn’t be mad about having them around to keep him distracted… as long as they were gone before Patton arrived. With Remy sticking around… Virgil doubted it would happen, and he wouldn’t _actually_ be mad if it did, but he was very good at hogging Patton’s attention. Which was hardly fair! 

Remy got all the attention he could ever ask for already; admittedly, he and Patton _had_ grown up together, _were_ best friends throughout school, not to mention still living near each other and getting to see each other every day and okay sure, without Remy’s guidance, he was pretty sure that even now, Patton wouldn’t believe that Virgil loved him because no offense, but he could propose and Patton would still ask “as like… friends?” 

… Alright, so maybe Virgil couldn’t get mad, pretend or not, at Remy being greedy with Patton’s company. That still didn’t make it fair. 

The following thirty minutes were agonizing. Sure, this wasn’t going to be nearly as extra and it wasn’t like Virgil _wanted_ to outdo Roman and Devereux’s confession but _also_ if he _could_ outdo the drama gays (a term coined by the majority of the town, which was really saying something), then he’d have it to hold over Roman’s head for the rest of time, and that sounded pretty cool. In his humble opinion, jumping out and surprising your loved one was _way_ more romantic than being locked in a room with them and hoping everything would go well. Was he sure yet when he’d be jumping out and surprising Patton? Nope! He kind of figured it’d just be something he _knew_. 

“They’re here!” Thomas exclaimed, nearly dropping his phone at the suddenness of receiving the text. 

“Get out,” Virgil snapped immediately and unthinkingly at Remy and Devereux. 

“Kinda late for that, doll,” Remy said, at least looking a _little_ sorry about it. 

“We’ll hide out in the crafts room,” Devereux offered, already pulling Remy down the hallway. Virgil pointedly ignored the kiss he blew in Roman’s direction. He _very_ pointedly ignored Roman catching it.

“You know they’ll see Roe’s car, right?” Thomas prompted, grinning.

“I’m glad you’ve already thought up a reason for them to be here then,” Virgil responded, shooting finger guns at his brother, who started stammering reminders that he was terrible with excuses. Never mind that he was an _actor_ and should have been able to improvise _something_. 

“I’ll handle it,” Roman cut in, patting Thomas on the head, which looked a little ridiculous since they were the same height. “Better get hiding, Virgil.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice. Virgil hurried to the kitchen where he proceeded to shove into the storage closet, which had been cleared out just enough for him to cram his scrawny self into. It smelled like various spices which reminded him of last year and baking cinnamon cookies with Patton. He wondered what they’d make this time. 

The sound was muffled but the front door opened and shut and… _God,_ how was he supposed to wait long enough to properly surprise his boyfriend? Just hearing Patton’s voice made Virgil want to throw himself into his arms, to kiss him senseless, to hold onto him and never let go. He steadied his breathing by focusing instead on the various scents surrounding him, only half listening to whatever Roman was saying to the twins. The noises got louder as they moved towards the kitchen, probably for Logan and Patton to put away the desserts they’d gone shopping for. 

“Thanks for agreeing to help decorate, even if it is just a— a possibility,” Thomas expressed, voice cracking on the last word. Ugh, he really never _had_ learned how to lie.

“The odds of Virgil actually being able to visit are quite low, Patton,” Logan was saying, “I just don’t want your hopes to get up too high.” Wow. Were they even trying to be subtle? 

“I know that!” Patton exclaimed and Virgil was _sure_ he was flapping his hands. “Imagine if he could, though! What if he showed up on Christmas Eve, _oh,_ that would be so _magical!_ ” 

This certainly wasn’t as magical as it could have been but Virgil was sure he’d explode if he waited a second longer. So as soon as it started to sound like the trio was heading back out, Virgil nudged the door open with his foot. It creaked and he winced. No doubt having peaked Patton’s curiosity, Virgil threw the door open the rest of the way, and practically launched himself at his boyfriend’s back.

Patton, for good reason, screamed.

The arms locked around his neck now, however, allowed him to see the hands clasped over his chest. Purple nail polish. A black ring on the middle finger of the right hand. An old friendship bracelet hanging loosely from the wrist. 

Patton screamed again. 

“ _Virgil!_ ” 

If asked, neither could guess how long they stayed embraced for. Patton was laughing breathlessly into Virgil’s shoulder, muttering his name over and over, sprinkling in the occasional “ _I love you._ ” Virgil couldn’t have stopped combing his hand through Patton’s hair even if he wanted to. 

Eventually, they would separate, but only just enough so that Patton could pepper kisses all over Virgil’s face. There might have even been a couple minutes of just gazing at each other, soaking up the mere _presence_ and warmth of the one they loved so dearly. 

Of course, they weren’t really alone which meant the reunion had to end at some point. The house was still full of nosy siblings and parents, after all. So, when Remy came crashing into the kitchen, shouting about how bored he was, neither Virgil nor Patton were all that surprised. He stole Patton away, claiming they had to do something really quick and insisting that Virgil catch up with Logan in the meantime.

“Hey, L,” Virgil said, greeting Logan with a signature two finger salute.

“Nice to see you again, Virgil. How was your semester?” 

They chatted about college, and their respective majors, and any hallmates from hell. Without really realizing it, they got into making a large batch of hot chocolate for everyone while they talked. Each mug was picked especially for its recipient, as well as the various ingredients added to each one. Virgil dropped a peppermint stick into his, added extra marshmallows to Patton’s, and a generous spoonful of caramel sauce for Thomas. 

With Roman’s help, all the drinks were brought out safely to the living room. Devereux seemed to have dozed off in the recliner closest to the fireplace. Thomas was nowhere to be found, so Virgil assumed he’d been roped into whatever nonsense Remy and Patton were up to. 

“So,” Virgil started, settling into the corner of the couch. “Did I outdo the drama gays?”

“Absolutely not,” Roman responded vehemently. 

“Virgil!” Patton shouted suddenly, appearing from the hallway, carrying a bag. “Honey, oh my _god._ ”

Patton shot an apologetic look towards Devereux, who was stirring from his nap, as he hurried towards Virgil. He threw himself onto the couch next to his boyfriend and abandoned the package in favor of grabbing onto Virgil’s arm.

“Earlier, you…” He paused, giggling. “You came out of the _pan_ try.” 

Logan groaned. 

Virgil blinked, slightly bewildered, before he started laughing, too. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did.” 

“I have something for you,” Patton continued, retrieving the present. He shoved it into Virgil’s lap.

“Christmas isn’t for another three days?” 

“Yes, and?” 

Thomas, who had just arrived with Remy, snorted. “As if you’ve ever had the patience to wait until the actual day to start opening your gifts.” 

While Virgil pestered Patton about not needing to get him anything, really, Remy and Thomas fought over the last armchair, and eventually just ended up tangled together on it. Logan rolled his eyes at their stubbornness. 

After some insisting from Patton, Virgil pulled out all of the colored tissue paper. Patton proceeded to ball it up and throw it at Remy, whose complaining got progressively louder, until his dad finally tossed a pillow at him with a grumbled “ _please shut up._ ” Roman settled on the arm of Devereux’s recliner with the most _adoring_ look in his eyes and carded a hand through his hair, whispering sweetly to him.

“Oh,” Virgil gasped, momentarily losing himself in sensory bliss at the material he’d just got his hands on. 

Patton wiggled, patting Virgil’s knees excitedly. It was the very same scarf he’d bought from Remy barely a week ago. It was black which meant it’d go with anything in Virgil’s wardrobe or with whatever outfit Patton decided to wear should he ~~steal~~ borrow it from him. 

“Try it!” Patton said, moving the rest of the wrapping out of the way.

Looping it around his neck provided Virgil the realization that it was of an infinity scarf, which meant all _sorts_ of different ways to wear it. Would he still just bundle it up to hide his face in it as much as possible? Probably. 

“It’s so _soft,_ ” Virgil murmured, rubbing the fabric against his cheek.

“Cashmere,” Remy piped up. “You’re welcome.” 

Patton leaned in, waiting with bright, hopeful eyes. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” Virgil huffed, failing spectacularly at downplaying his delight. “I _love_ it. Thank you.” 

If a person could embody _!!!_ , then Patton would be doing a very good job of it. He surged forward, catching Virgil by surprise with the intensity of the kiss. One hand cradled his face while the other clutched at the scarf, using it to pull him closer. Smiling against Patton’s lips, Virgil couldn’t help but think that this was very much something he’d like to have for the rest of his life.

Later, they would hang up their personal ornaments. Tomorrow, they would work on making new ones. The holidays would only continue to get more magical as the years passed, he was sure of it, and honestly? He was _really_ looking forward to it. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to [helena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marinia/) and [lia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepless_In_Starbucks/) for beta reading this for me!


End file.
